Clinton and Paul are neck and neck in Kentucky

Raleigh, N.C. –
Hillary Clinton is standing her ground in a historically red state with a
favorability rating of 45% and an equal likelihood of voters choosing her over
Rand Paul.

When asked whether they would vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton or
Republican Rand Paul, 45% of voters chose Clinton and 45% of voters chose Rand
Paul. 10% of voters were unsure. Hillary Clinton does even better against Marco
Rubio with a 6 point lead (46-40).

“Hillary Clinton’s competitiveness in Kentucky shows what a formidable
Presidential candidate she would be in 2016,” said Dean Debnam, President of
Public Policy Polling. “Democrats haven’t been able to make it a race in
Kentucky since her husband was on the ticket almost 20 years ago.”

While voters are split between Paul and Clinton, 50% of them think Rand Paul
should not run for President in 2016. Of the Kentuckians who typically vote in
Republican primaries, they would still rather see Paul run (31% would choose
him out of other GOP candidates) than any other potential Republican candidates
such as Marco Rubio (17%), Jeb Bush (13%), and Chris Christie (10%).

Turning inward, when asked if they prefer the next Governor of Kentucky to
be a Democrat or a Republican, voters are split (40-40) with 20% unsure.
Kentucky voters are also evenly split on whether they support or oppose
Congress passing stricter gun laws (46-46).

Kentucky voters are less divided on the issue of same sex marriage with 27%
of the people surveyed thinking same-sex marriage should be allowed and 65% of
voters thinking same-sex marriage should not be allowed.

PPP surveyed 1,052 Kentucky voters as well as 320
usual Republican primary voters from April 5th to 7th.
The margin of error for the overall sample is +/-3.0% and +/-5.5% for the GOP
portion. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any
campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated
telephone interviews.

Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Q3 If the candidates for President next time wereDemocrat Hillary Clinton and Republican RandPaul, who would you vote for?Hillary Clinton………………………………………….. 45%Rand Paul ………………………………………………. 45%Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%

Q4 If the candidates for President next time wereDemocrat Hillary Clinton and RepublicanMarco Rubio, who would you vote for?Hillary Clinton………………………………………….. 46%Marco Rubio …………………………………………… 40%Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%

Q5 Would you prefer for the next Governor ofKentucky to be a Democrat or a Republican?Democrat ……………………………………………….. 40%Republican……………………………………………… 40%Not sure …………………………………………………. 20%

Q6 Do you think Rand Paul should run forPresident in 2016, or not?He should run …………………………………………. 30%He should not………………………………………….. 50%Not sure …………………………………………………. 19%

Q8 Do you think same-sex marriage should beallowed, or not?It should be allowed …………………………………. 27%It should not ……………………………………………. 65%Not sure …………………………………………………. 8%

Q9 Which of the following best describes youropinion on gay marriage: gay couples shouldbe allowed to legally marry, or gay couplesshould be allowed to form civil unions but notlegally marry, or there should be no legalrecognition of a gay couple’s relationship?Gay couples should be allowed to legallymarry ……………………………………………………..23%Gay couples should be allowed to form civilunions but not marry …………………………………29%There should be no legal recognition of a gaycouple’s relationship …………………………………44%Not sure …………………………………………………. 4%

Q15 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.Woman ………………………………………………….. 52%Man……………………………………………………….. 48%

Q16 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,press 2. If you are an independent or identifywith another party, press 3.Democrat ……………………………………………….. 51%Republican……………………………………………… 39%Independent/Other…………………………………… 10%

Q18 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you areolder than 65, press 4.18 to 29………………………………………………….. 12%30 to 45………………………………………………….. 20%46 to 65………………………………………………….. 48%Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%